postcode lottery

British

noun

a situation in which the standard of medical care, education, etc, received by the public varies from area to area, depending on the funding policies of various health boards, local authorities, etc

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Rival motoring group the AA said the chances of motorists seeing a cut in fuel prices would depend on where they lived due to what it called "the pump-price postcode lottery".

From BBC • Apr. 14, 2026

Aylesbury MP Laura Kyrke-Smith, whose close friend took her own life after having a baby, called access a "postcode lottery" with some areas "complete deserts".

From BBC • Mar. 8, 2026

The party has also called for an end to a "postcode lottery" in childcare caused by some councils applying entitlement from the start of a school term rather than from a child's third birthday.

From BBC • Jan. 12, 2026

The under-diagnosis is well-documented and regional variation in NHS commissioning creates a postcode lottery.

From Science Daily • Jan. 4, 2026

"They just said it was a postcode lottery and it was really expensive."

From BBC • Dec. 10, 2025

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023